Kenyans will have to pay more to buy smartphones starting today as the new excise duty in the Finance Act 2022 takes effect.
The act imposes a 10 percent excise duty on imported cellular phones as well as Sh50 excise duty on every imported SIM card.
“Excise duty on the importation of cellular phones shall be at 10 percent of the excisable value,” reads the Act.
The duty on SIM cards was introduced by Kikuyu Member of Parliament Kimani Ichung’wah during a debate that saw last-minute amendments added to the Bill.
The duties were then introduced last month as an addition to the original Finance Bill 2022 submitted by Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani during the budget reading and finally signed into law by President Uhuru Kenyatta last week.
The measure is apparently aimed at increasing tax collections by the Kenya Revenue Authority.
